Arizona Republicans censure Senator McCain as too 'liberal'

January 26, 2014|Reuters

By David Schwartz

PHOENIX, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Arizona Republicans on Saturdaycensured U.S. Senator John McCain, the party's 2008 presidentialnominee, for a record they called too "liberal," in a sign ofcontinued distrust some party members in the state have for theso-called political maverick.

The resolution passed by a voice vote at an ArizonaRepublican Party meeting of 1,600 committee members at a churchin Tempe, Arizona, said Tim Sifert, a spokesman for the stateorganization.

"Only in times of great crisis or betrayal is it necessaryto publicly censure our leaders. Today we are faced with both,"the resolution stated.

It went on to reprimand McCain, who has served 27 years inthe Senate, for "a long and terrible record of drafting,co-sponsoring and voting for legislation best associated withliberal Democrats."

The resolution condemned McCain's role in helping to craft abill that passed the Senate last year that would provide apathway to citizenship for up to 11 million illegal immigrants,which the state Republicans called "amnesty."

Among the other complaints against McCain in the resolutionwere his support for funding the Affordable Care Act, also knownas Obamacare, and positions he has taken on gun rights.

McCain, 77, who has said he might run for re-election in2016, was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House ofRepresentatives in 1982 and to the Senate in 1986.

President Barack Obama in 2008 defeated McCain, theRepublican's nominee, in the race for the White House.

The subtitle to a 2002 autobiography McCain co-authoredcalls him a "maverick," a moniker also used at the time by 2008vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, and he has become knownfor his willingness to work across party lines.

A representative for McCain could not be reached forcomment.

But former Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, also a Republican,told the Arizona Republic the vote as not representing the willof most Republicans.

"I've gone to dozens of these meetings and every now andthen some wacky resolution gets passed," Kyl told the newspaper.

At the meeting, the state Republican committee members alsovoted their support for abolishing a 1913 amendment to the U.S.Constitution that enshrined direct election of senators by thepublic, said a spokesman.